Chloe Ayling abduction: Man accused of kidnapping British model is 'a fantasist', say police

Chloe Ayling, 20, was reportedly kidnapped in Milan and held captive for six days
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Eleanor Rose8 August 2017
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The man accused of kidnapping British model Chloe Ayling is a dangerous fantasist, according to Italian officials.

Lukasz Pawel Herba, 30, allegedly part of a gang that abducted Miss Ayling and threatened to sell her as a sex slave, was reported by officers in Italian media to be "a dangerous person with traces of mythomania".

The term mythomania describes an abnormal tendency to tell lies or exaggerates things.

On July 18, police arrested the Polish national, who lives in Britain, was said by Milan deputy prosecutor Paolo Storari to have given "barely credible" accounts of what happened.

Miss Ayling was reportedly snatched on July 11 by a group calling itself Black Death while she was attending a photo shoot at a "recognised studio" in the city centre, her agent Phil Green said on Monday.

She was then allegedly tied to furniture at a remote farmhouse near Turin while her kidnappers auctioned her for more than £230,000 on the dark web.

Model Chloe Ayling was allegedly kidnapped in Italy by a sex slave gang
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However, after six days she was suddenly released. Black Death, the organised crime group suspected to be behind Miss Ayling’s kidnap, claimed to have released her after finding out she has a two-year-old child.

On Monday, Mr Green, of Supermodels Agency, said she was taken to the British Consulate in Milan after the "horrific ordeal", but could not return home to London for almost three weeks.

"Chloe had her passport detained by Italian police who would not let her return to the UK until she gave evidence at a pre-trial hearing on August 4," he said in a statement.

"Today she is debriefing Met Police and the Foreign Office, and has requested to spend the rest of the day in privacy with her mother," he added.

Chloe Ayling, 20.
Instagram

Miss Ayling spoke out for the first time on Monday after escaping the gang and returning to her mother’s home in Coulsdon, south London.

She said: "I’ve been through a terrifying experience. I’ve feared for my life, second by second, minute by minute, hour by hour.

"I’m incredibly grateful to the Italian and UK authorities for all they have done to secure my safe release."

In her police statement, published in Italian media, Miss Ayling recalled the moment she regained consciousness after being drugged – reportedly with horse tranquiliser ketamine – and abducted.

“When I woke up I was wearing a pink bodysuit and the socks I am wearing now," she said.

“I realised I was in the boot of a car with my wrists and ankles handcuffed, adhesive tape on my mouth. I was inside a bag and was only able to breathe through a small hole.”

Il Giornale, an Italian newspaper, reported that she was set to be sold outside of Europe.

The Telegraph reported she said: “He [one of the alleged kidnappers] told me ... That he alone had earned more than €15m (£13.5m) in the last five years and explained to me that all the girls are destined for the Arab countries.

“When the buyer gets tired of the girl bought by auction (they) can give them to other people, and when it is no longer of interest they are to become a ‘tiger meal’.”

Investigators said they found a letter after searching a computer belonging to Black Death which demanded a $50,000 bitcoin payment for her release.

It also said kidnapping her was a “mistake” because a young mother should “in no circumstances be lured into kidnapping”.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) said it has been assisting with the investigation.

A spokesman said: "The NCA and the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (Emsou) have been working closely with the Italian authorities since the kidnap was reported.

"NCA officers in Italy and specialists from our anti kidnap and extortion unit are also providing support to the Polizia di Stato as part of the ongoing investigation.

"A house in the Oldbury area linked to Lukasz Pawel Herba was searched on July 18 by Emsou officers with assistance from West Midlands Police.

"Computer equipment seized is being forensically examined."

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